Independent game studio Hilltop Studios, in collaboration with Versus Evil, have released their third Dev Diary video going behind the scenes on the creation of their upcoming narrative-driven deduction adventure game Lil’ Guardsman. This latest video, Guard Work is Hard Work, offers an interview with developer Hilltop Studios’ co-founder & game director Artiom Komarov, co-founder & creative director Scott Christian, and writer & game designer Matt Bernard, as they discuss the various ‘tools and tricks of the trade’ when it comes to guarding the kingdom Lil calls home.
Guard Work is Hard Work offers a sneak peak at the Guardsman Toolkit - the intimidation and discovery tools the player will use to deduce whether or not to let a visitor into the Sprawl - the kingdom at the center of Lil’ Guardsman. Tools range from “bad cop” style tools like the bullwhip and truth serum to “good cop” gadgets like a decoder ring and metal detector. One of the chief joys of Lil’ Guardsman is using the wrong tools on the wrong people to create mischievous disasters. Since Lil’ Guardsman has a time-rewind mechanic, you’re invited to get creative and discover a whole host of hilarious fail states. There’s also a star-rating system, offering different levels of engagement for players who are happy to just move the story along, versus those who are determined to achieve the perfect score, outcome and pay bonus.
Due later this year on Switch, Lil’ Guardsman is a narrative deduction game inspired by the classic point-and-click genre and the mechanics of Papers, Please. Set in a high-fantasy world with the comedic sensibility of Monkey Island and other 90s Lucasarts adventure classics, Lil’ Guardsman puts players in the role of a young girl who finds herself tasked with covering for her dad, the head castle guardsman. What could go wrong?
As you interrogate an array of eccentric characters trying to gain entry to the city walls, you must discover each visitor’s true intentions through cunning dialogue and a clever use of your toolbox of investigative items. You’ll have to make tough decisions as Lil, deciding who to allow into her castle home. Consequences can be severe, so you must make clever use of your abilities to uncover mass conspiracies and protect Lil’s castle and family from devious interlopers.
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